Move It, Football Head
by sueque
Summary: Helga has dealt with a lot in her life, but she's become a strong, independent woman because of it. She meets up with Arnold when he's a suspect in a murder case, but things take a little turn. M for language and sexual scenes
1. Emma

A/N: Howdy ya'll! So, I grew up watching Hey Arnold! and quickly fell in love with the show. So, now I want to write a fanfiction in honor of the show that made my childhood.

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I do not own anything. It is all from the mind of Craig Bartlett.

Helga Geraldine Pataki. Could my parents have picked a worse name? I spent most of my life being a bully, which probably worked in my favor considering the torment I would have received for having such an unattractive name. Rhonda had once told me that it would make sense I had a name like 'Helga'... it was an ugly girl's name. So, naturally I punched her in the stomach. I was not one to deal with people's shit.

Some people often wondered if I was like this (essentially a bitch) because of my parents. My mother was an alcoholic and my father was a workaholic. I was lucky if I ever came home to someone in the house after Olga went to attend Wellington University in New Zealand. My parents' gave her all of the attention and love they could spare and I was their "mistake". So, maybe they were the reason I turned out to be a bitch, but I really think that each person chooses who they are. I am who I chose to be and it made me who I am.

"Momma," my little girl said as she stumbled into the room. At two years old she still hadn't mastered walking and the fact that she was a chubby little thing probably didn't help all that much.

"Yes, Emma," I said. She had a way of softening me when I was in the worst moves and thinking of my past always put me in a minor depression.

"Can I has mo?" she asked in her cute broken language. I was mixing cookie batter and Emma wanted another mixing beater, so I handed her one.

"Here you go baby. Now, when you're done go get your shoes on," I said pushing her along a little, "Gram and Gramps will be here to get you soon."

"No work today," she said stomping her feet.

"Sorry babygirl, you know momma has to go to work to put the bad guys away," I smiled as I pulled her blonde hair up and put the pink bow I was known for into her hair.

"Daddy today?" she asked. Every time she asked questions about her father, my heart sunk. How could I tell her that her father raped me? Her father was in jail. I sighed heavily and thought of that awful day...

_It was the first party I'd been invited to in college, I wasn't exactly popular, but my sister had talked some kids into allowing me to attend a party. Of course, at the time I didn't know this. I brushed my blonde hair out and curled it, plucked my eyebrow, and put a bit of make-up on before throwing on a pink dress that accentuated the figure I preferred to keep hidden. I guess I should point out that Olga helped me get ready in the small apartment I shared with Phoebe, my best friend since grade school._

_Originally I didn't think I would enjoy an NYU party, but I had to admit for a while there I was having fun. People kept handing me drinks and, to be honest, I didn't even know I was getting drunk. I had sworn off alcohol growing up seeing my mother drink herself into a stupor every night and pass out on the couch. So I had my first and last drink of alcohol on that day. _

"_Hey there! Helga is it?" a melodic voice whispered in my ear. I'd heard the voice before and when I turned I noticed the oaf that stood only inches from me. His eyes were glazed over, either from alcohol or marijuana. _

"_Wolfgang," I stated simply. I wanted nothing to do with him. He was nothing but an asshole in grade school and by the looks of it not much had changed. _

"_I knew you'd remember me. I'm a hard guy to forget, huh?" the alcohol was potent on his breath and he took a step closer to me, putting his hands on the wall behind me, trapping me in front of him. I tried to move past him and he moved closer to me, pinning me to the wall with his body. I felt truly in danger at this point. _

"_Get the fuck out of my way," I demanded, putting all of my force into a push, but he stood rooted where he was. I was in real trouble. The night only got worse from then on. Wolfgang kept handing me drinks and I stupidly kept drinking them. _

_As the night wore on, I'm told I disappeared with Wolfgang. The last thing I remember is screaming no before being hit with a fist. _

_I woke up in the hospital with Olga and Phoebe beside my bed. "Oh my dearest little sis, I'm so sorry," she cried. It took me a while to calm her down, but she wouldn't tell me what happened, but I knew it was bad when I saw tears in Phoebe's eyes._

"We'll find you a daddy some day," I whispered as she left the room to find her shoes.


	2. We Found a Body

I don't own anything. :)

My parents came to pick up Emma shortly after she found her shoes and I was by myself for a moment and my mind flew back to the one of the most nerve racking moments of my life.

"I would like to call Mr. Wolfgang Caldwell to the stand," my lawyer said as he stood in front of the judge, peering over at the jury. I felt a lump begin to form in my throat and quickly swallowed it. I'd be damned if I let him see how badly he hurt me. Wolfgang made his way tot he front and when he was seated, my lawyer began his attack.

After denying all of the charges against him, Wolfgang looked me straight in the eye and with every ounce of the hatred he had for me he spat out...

The ringing and buzzing of my phone caught me off guard and threw me from my thoughts. "Pataki," I spat into the phone. My past brought out an unpleasant side of me.

"Helga," my partner, Drew Gable, said on the other end of the line. "You need to get here immediately, we got a call and have to go to Brooklyn. The body of a young, rich female was found."

"Is that all you know?" I demanded.

"Well, apparently it's in your old neighborhood," my mouth went dry and I was unable to speak. I hung up and went to the station in a zombie like trance. All I could think of was the list of people women I knew from my old neighborhood. There was Phoebe, Lila, Nadine, Sheena... Rhonda. Fuck. It had to be Rhonda. No one had more money than Rhonda Wellington Lloyd. She was New York's most eligible bachelorette. Before I could comprehend what was happening, tears were stinging my eyes. Why was I crying? I hated Rhonda.

I arrived at the address in no time and the took a deep breath before getting out of the car. In the two years I'd been a detective, I never ran into anyone I had known previously. The crime scene tape surrounded the large townhouse and after showing my badge I made my way in and Gable met me at the front door. "25 year old female," shit, "dark hair," fuck, "blow to the head, possible rape." My heart sunk and my eyes began to burn with unshed tears.

"Rhonda Wellington Lloyd," I said, unaware that I had interrupted Gable.

His sad eyes found mine, "You knew her?"

I quickly wiped the tears from eyes and shook my head slightly, "From grade school." He nodded his head and said nothing more as I put on a glove and bent down to examine the body. I lifted her head slightly and saw the gaping wound in the back of her head and peered around the wound, "Do we have any possible murder weapons?" I inquired.

Gable nodded, "We have a few possibilities. The medical examiner thinks it was a bat or some other blunt object. I, personally think, it was a smaller object," he said motioning for me to follow. We walked deeper into the room of purples and reds. Gable stopped by a shelf and pointed out a small circle on it that was surrounded by dust. "There was something here. Nothing else is missing in the house, so whatever was here was definitely used to kill the stunning young woman." I mentally made a point to investigate what was there.

Rhonda's parents owned the home before they moved to the Hamptons and gave it to their only child. So, they would without a doubt know where it was, but first, Gable and I had to break the news to them.

There was a unit sent out to tell the Lloyd's about their daughter's unfortunate death and they were on their way to talk to Gable and me. I hadn't seem the couple since I graduated high school seven years ago and never thought I would see them again.

The Lloyds made it to the station in record time and thirty minutes from telling them about their daughter we had them in the room for questioning. We were 99% sure they didn't kill her, but we had to rule out ever possibility.

"Helga? Helga Pataki?", Brooke Lloyd said squinting in my direction.

"Detective Pataki," Buckley said, ignoring his wife, "What happened to our baby girl?" he asked. I immediately thought of my own baby girl at home and had to push the thought away.

"I'm so sorry for your loss. Although Rhonda and I were never close she was still a good kind person, who never deserved this." Okay, maybe she wasn't particularly good or kind, but she sure as hell didn't deserve this. "She died of blunt force trauma to the head," I stated simply. I looked over at them and sighed heavily. "I hate to ask you this, but where were you this morning around four am?"

I thought Brooke was going to jump over the table and strangle me, but her husband's hand on her arm calmed her slightly, "We were at Roanoke Vineyards with my in laws," he said taking his wife's hand.

"Alright. We will have to look into that, protocol," I said. The last thing I wanted was to step on their toes. I knew they had a close relationship with their daughter and we may need them, later on. "Now, if you don't mind, we would like to know all of the people Rhonda was around. Friends, boyfriends, family, anyone who might know where she is." I slid a pad of yellow legal paper and a pen across the table and left the room without another word. Gable stayed in the room with them, talking them through the process and occasionally asking about the names on the list.

Meanwhile, I made my way into the viewing room to watch them in the interrogation room. After watching them make their way through the list, Brooke froze. "Gracious," she mumbled pointing to a name on the list and peering over at her husband.

He answered with a shake of the head, "No, it can't be," he said.

Gable peered at the name Brooke pointed to, "Arnold Shortman? Who is that?"

The lump in my throat grew and I felt as if it were suffocating me. I shook my head. "What could Arnold have to do with Rhonda's murder?" she whispered to herself


	3. I Need Your Help

A/N: Once again, I do not own anything. Also I would like to thank those who have reviewed. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Now, on to the main event.

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Before I could process anything else I pushed the door open to the interrogation room, "Are you crazy? Arnold would never hurt anyone!"

Brooke and Buckley stared at me for a moment, "Helga, that boy you once knew... he's not the same young man he used to be," Brooke said as she sighed and turned away.

Gable gently pushed me to the door and out of the room, "You can't be in here. You are too close to this case."

I knew he was right so I returned to the viewing room and took a seat. I wasn't sure if I wanted to hear this... but I knew I had to.

"Go on," Gable said as he sat across from Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd.

Brooke sighed and continued, "Arnold and Rhonda dated for a short time and Arnold fell in love with her." Well, that didn't seem right. Arnold and Rhonda? She was stuck up and snobby and Arnold wasn't one to enjoy being around people like her. He always got along with her in school, but I just couldn't see them together. And there was no way Arnold would fall in love with her. "When she broke his heart to pursue a modelling career he was furious."

"How did you know he was furious?"

"Rhonda would call us in tears saying that Arnold had been peering through her windows." No. No, this was bullshit. "He would stalk and threaten her constantly."

"Threaten her how? What would he say?"

"He would tell her he was going to kill her if she really left him."

"Was that all?"

"That was all Rhonda told us."

"Why did Rhonda never report this?" Because it didn't happen.

"She didn't want Arnold to be in trouble for loving her." Bullshit.

This is ridiculous! This was all hearsay. No one could prove this in any way, shape, or form. "Well ma'am," Gable finally said after a long silence, "I'm afraid without concrete proof we can only bring him in for questioning. If you know of any proof, please let us know," he said handing them his card.

They nodded and left quickly with tears in the eyes and heavy hearts. I walked into the room when they left, hoping they didn't see me, "Gable, you have to know that Rhonda was lying."

He shrugged and picked up the list. Most were names ones I didn't recognize. "Anything?"

"I know a few of them," I said as I rattled off the names while pointing to them, "Harold Berman, Sid Schum, Stinky Peterson, Eugene Horowitz, Thaddeus Gammelthorpe, Lila Sawyer, Nadine Robinson," I perused the rest of the list and knew no others besides Arnold's, "Well and Arnold Shortman... obviously."

Gable looked at the list and gathered the task force. "Bring these people in for questioning," he sent them all to a different group of people and then he looked at me, "You're too close to this Helga." My mind froze and my mouth went dry. I wasn't allowed to help at all. I had to sit and watch as all of my friends were questioned and I couldn't do a damn thing about it. I don't know that I could live with that, but I knew I had to.

I sighed and nodded. "Maybe I should take the vacation I never took," I said with a small chuckle.

Gable chuckled, "I think that may be a wise choice."

I left without a word to anyone, I figured I would let them know in the morning that I was taking some vacation time. I deserved it and I couldn't allow myself to be near the investigation, I don't like when I don't have control. I giggled at the car as I climbed into the car and headed to my childhood home to pick up my own child.

"Where's my baby girl?" I called into my parents house. Emma came toddling into the room with her arms out and calling to me. I lifted her into my arms and drew her close. I place a soft kiss onto her head and "I love you," I whispered into her blonde hair. She giggled and struggled to get down as my mother walked in.

"How was your day, dear?" my mother asked as she led me to the couch. I shrugged and told her as much as I could.

"I can't say much, let's just say that something happened dealing with the kids I grew up with," I said as I put my head in my hands.

My mother looked at me and nodded, "Do you want some wine?"

"Mother, it's only four o'clock in the afternoon... why don't you wait until dinner?" I said. I'd been trying to steer my mother clear of alcohol, but to my dismay I was failing miserably.

I was walking over to get her a glass her, when my phone began to vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out and peered at the caller ID, it was a number I didn't recognize. "Hello?

"Helga?!" Helga recognized the voice almost immediately.

"Arnold?"

"Helga, I need your help. They think I killed Rhonda." Arnold must have somehow found out that I was on the force, but I hadn't talked to him in years so it wasn't from me.

"Well, did you?" I knew he would be angry for asking, but I had to make sure.

"No, I did not!" He annunciated every word and I knew he wasn't lying.

"Why do they think it was you?"

"When Rhonda cheated on me I was upset and said some things I probably shouldn't have," he paused for a moment, "Helga, can you meet me somewhere? I need your help." I could tell by his tone that he really did need my help and I took a deep breath before agreeing to meet him later that evening at a coffee shop. After getting the address of the shop I hung up and went on the hunt for my little girl.

"Emma," I called into the other room, looking for my little girl, "it's time to go home, baby."


End file.
